The technology and advantages to our patients and the quality control has been nothing short of fantastic. For the first time, dentists can have total control over the quality of the lab work for the restoration process. That means precision in the design of the crown to the under 10 micron level. This level of precison has not been achievable in the past by dental lab transfer or the old way of making crowns and onlays. More importantly, the whole process is done on site while the patient waits, and the result is a durable, high quality and attractive ceramic crown.

There are over 500 species of microorganisms in your mouth! Most of them are harmless, but some can cause gum disease and tooth decay, and also increase your potential for systemic infections by entering your bloodstream.

At Holistic Family Dentistry we use a microscope because it is a simple, inexpensive, non-invasive, but extremely effective tool to evaluate the health of your mouth and to educate you in good preventive techniques.

This video gives a good illustration of what may be seen in the mouth:

In the human body, magnesium is the eleventh element by mass and about 60-65% of the magnesium is found in the skeleton and teeth.

The remaining magnesium can be found in muscle tissue and cells and only 1% is contained in our blood. The body has high needs for magnesium. Magnesium is required for metabolic functions involving creation of energy ATP and its transport creation of proteins, nucleic acid RNA and DNA in all known living organisms.

Why We Need Magnesium

Every single cell in the human body demands enough magnesium to function.

Strong bones and teeth, balanced hormones, and healthy nervous and cardiovascular system as well as functional detoxification pathways depend on cellular magnesium.

Magnesium works in concert with calcium to regulate electrical impulses in the cell. Magnesium concentration inside a healthy cell is 10 times higher than calcium.

Magnesium is responsible for relaxation and is crucial to the healthy functioning of our parasympathetic nervous system.

Magnesium deficiency is involved in many diseases from ADD, Alzheimer's, autism, autoimmune disorders, dental decay, and depression to osteoporosis, stroke, obesity and the list keeps growing.

The Problem with Magnesium

Unfortunately it is difficult to reliably supply our bodies with sufficient magnesium even from a good balanced whole food diet. In modern agriculture the presence of widely used NPK fertilizer has an antagonist affect with magnesium in the soil. Magnesium and other nutrients are diminished or lost in produce after harvest, refrigeration, transport and storage, even if all steps were done properly. Food processing can cause excessive loss of magnesium in foods. Examples of such processing are milling the whole grains, roasting the nuts and seeds, and cooking the leafy greens. Fluoride in drinking water binds to the magnesium and creates an insoluble mineral compound that will be deposited in the bones.

Have you ever wondered what will determine whether you remain healthy or get sick with cancer, heart disease, dementia, neuro-degenerative disease, chronic fatigue, the flu, a cold or Ebola?

It’s the immune system, stupid!

While I don’t usually use the word “stupid” - in this case it helps to illustrate the obvious fact of what really keeps us healthy, what prevents us from getting sick, what helps us recover quickly when we do get sick…is our amazing immune system!

In other words, it’s your immune system that keeps you healthy, strong and aging gracefully. Likewise, it is your grandchild’s immune system that will determine whether they will develop autism, ADHD, allergies, asthma, mental health issue, diabetes, breast cancer (see Dr. Fuller's article Can Half of Breast Cancers Be Prevented?) or any other of the modern "epidemic" childhood diseases that are ravishing our youth’s health.

Of course genes play a role, but for purposes of this article I want to talk about the role of the immune system and how your dentist can support a healthier system. Dental treatment should be safe and effective and impact the rest of the body as little as possible.

Dentistry as taught in traditional dental education requires that dentists are mechanical in how they practice.

Holes in teeth should be filled, tartar and plaque removed from teeth to stop gum bleeding and infection, diseased or impacted teeth must be extracted and crooked teeth straightened with orthodontics - are strictly mechanical dental approaches.

Despite this orientation our overall health may be profoundly affected (positively or negatively) by remaining or developing dental disease and in most ways how mechanical dentistry treats these conditions.

I am asked nearly every day why cavities are formed and what can be done to prevent this dental decay.

The inability to remove the plaque (90% bacteria) from teeth is the cause of decay on your teeth. The bacteria in the plaque produce acid which removes minerals from the teeth. This demineralized tooth structure is in fact decay.

The pH is the measure of how strong or destructive an acid is in causing decay. The measurement of pH ranges from 1-14 with pH7 being neutral (neither acidic nor alkaline). A pH of between 1 and 7 is acidic (1 is the most acidic or destructive) while greater than pH 7 is alkaline.

As this relates to decay the closer to neutral or alkaline pH the less likely decay will form. Normal sugar (sucrose) produces a pH of 2 or 3 (extremely acidic) in the mouth, ultimately resulting in significant decay. The more this acid is reduced or buffered the less decay is able to form.

Xylitol, Can a Sugar Help Reduce Tooth Decay?

The one preventive measure that most dentists utilize is fluoride which makes the superficial tooth structure more difficult to remove minerals.

As a dentist in the Holistic Family Dental Practice of National Integrated Health Associates I meet several patients every day with root canal or potential root canal issues. Most patients presenting with potential root canal issues have great misunderstandings of the issues surrounding root canals.

The Simple Truth About Root Canals

The nerve and blood vessels within all teeth are collectively referred to as the pulp and provides the vitality and immune resistance to the tooth in which they reside. Most people and even some dentists may mistakenly believe that a toothache necessarily means that the tooth requires a root canal but that is not necessarily the case.

If a tooth is decayed, traumatized or exposed to microbes the nerve will first become inflamed. This is called a pulpitis or inflammation of the pulp. The first stage of pulpitis is termed acute pulpitis and if left untreated will become a chronic pulpitis.

Both acute and chronic pulpitis can have symptoms (pain) or be asymptomatic (ie no pain). What most dentists may not understand or do not have the tools to accomplish is to reverse acute and chronic pulpitis. This reversal needs homeopathic anti-inflammatories plus healing lasers.

What You Need to Know Before Going to the Dentist

If a pulpitis is not treated it usually becomes a dead, necrotic tooth. The necrotic tooth may or may not have symptoms. Once a tooth becomes necrotic it will attract microbial infection. The ways to stop this infection within a necrotic tooth is either extractions or to perform a root canal.

BPA or Bisphenol_A is a chemical that has been used since 1960's in certain resins and plastics. It is a common ingredient in many plastics, including water bottles, cups, children's toys, plastic containers, cash receipts and paper currency. BPA is found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastics are a common ingredient in containers that store food and beverages such as water bottles, cups, children's toys and baby bottles. Polycarbonate plastics are used for goods such as safety equipment, compact discs and medical devices.